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PRACTICAL TRAVELER; Where to Find No-Frills Facts

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THERE are a number of worthwhile travel leaflets and paperback books not often found in bookstores, usually because they are Government publications. They provide tightly focused, reliable travel information -- no pictures and no chat, but plenty of facts.

Electricity -- A notable revival is "Electric Current Abroad," which has been reprinted for the first time since 1984. It has been revised by the Department of Commerce, and is now for sale by the department and by the Government Printing Office. It is not just people new to travel who forget that all electric current is not identical, or who buy a set of plug converters and figure the problem is dealt with.

The 90-page booklet is intended for companies setting up overseas, but private travelers, particularly to the third world, who want to take hair dryers, coffee makers or other plug-in devices have long relied on it. For each country and for specific cities, it specifies the type and frequency of current (60 cycle, as in the United States, or 50 cycle, which will give you slow readings on your electric clock), the nominal voltage, which may vary somewhat, the number of wires and, in a notation valuable to computer users, whether the frequency is stable enough for an electric clock. It also has drawings of plugs and specifies which are used in each country.

"Electric Current Abroad," if ordered from the Department of Commerce (publication PB-91-193383), National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Va. 22161, (703) 487-4650, costs $9.95, plus $3 for one-week delivery. From the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C., 20402, where the document number is 003-008-00203-0, the cost is $3.

To answer the logical follow-up question, there are companies that sell appliances adapted to other currents, or that use batteries. One is Appliances Overseas, 276 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10001, (212) 545-8001.

Air Travel -- Concise, basic information on plane travel is being published by the Department of Transportation as free one-page fact sheets. The titles are: "Tips on Avoiding Baggage Problems," "Tips for Defensive Flying," "Public Charter Flights," "Transporting Live Animals" and "Frequent Flier Programs." The latter two topics are not covered at all in the department's 1985 publication, a $1 leaflet called "Fly Rights."

These fact sheets take nothing for granted -- for example, always put your name and address inside your checked luggage as well as on the tag outside -- and are probably useful as check lists. Hoyte B. Decker Jr., assistant director for consumer affairs in the Transportation Department, a source of this column's sometimes discouraging data on consumer complaints and flight delays, said that the fact sheets were written to be understood by people who might not have taken a plane trip before. Two came out in 1990 and last fall, the department added three additional sheets.

The sheet on public charters, a topic also omitted from "Fly Rights," is valuable for anyone not familiar with charter rules. For example, it points out that all arrangements for public charters are subject to change but a refund may be obtained without penalty in the event of a "major" change -- if the departure or return city is changed, if the date is changed by more than 48 hours, if a new hotel is substituted or if the price rises more than 10 percent. "Baggage Problems" contains much that seems obvious, but some travelers may not know that they must lodge a claim for lost or rifled bags before they leave the airport. "Defensive Flying" offers tips for the inexperienced traveler and is printed in large type.

These may be obtained free by writing to the Consumer Affairs Office, Department of Transportation, I-25, Washington, D.C. 20590.

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The department's 32-page "Fly Rights," in the 1985 edition, is available for $1 from Consumer Information Center, Department 134Y, Pueblo, Colo. 81009. This contains information on the bumping process -- denied boarding, to give it its formal name. Mr. Decker said that "Fly Rights," which is out of date but not in error, was due for revision, although it is not imminent.

A Ralph Nader group, the Aviation Consumer Action Project, publishes a similar book, "Facts and Advice for Airline Passengers," at $2; it was revised in 1991 and includes current information on smoking rules. It covers some topics such as health alerts that "Fly Rights" does not touch. Order from Aviation Consumer Action Project, Box 19029, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Health -- The Government publication on travel health, "Health Information for International Travel 1991," is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control of the Public Health Service; this edition came out in June 1991. An invaluable compilation of current research, it covers vaccination requirements around the world, Public Health Service recommendations for travelers, in what areas various diseases are found and health hints.

A 17-inch shelf of travel health books is above my desk, but when two professional photographers called to say they were cruising the Amazon and their physician had made no immunization recommendations, I took down the compact "Health Information." According to information on page 20, the C.D.C. recommended yellow fever vaccination for travelers leaving urban areas of Brazil, and said that reactions to the vaccine were generally mild, which was what the photographers needed to know. The book has a country index as well as a disease index and is easy to use, although nonprofessionals may want to supplement it with a dictionary. It is publication CDC 91-8280 and costs $5 from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington D.C. 20402, (202) 783-3238.

Hiking Trails -- Switching to publications that add to your fun, "America's Rail-Trails" is valuable to casual hikers. This 1991 sixth edition of the 138-page paperback is a directory to 360 paths created on old rail corridors. Each entry notes the types of use permitted -- generally nonmotorized, but snowmobiles are sometimes permitted.

The listing is by state, and 40 states have at least one trail; some have many, such as California with 17, and New York with 11. Pennsylvania, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin also have rich choices of trails, while some New England states have barely any. Peter Harnik of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy said this has less to do with available rights-of-wayand more to do with political structure. Where county governments are strong, a decision gets made in a single vote; where towns predominate, many governing bodies may be involved. For each state, a map is marked with a star to show the location of the trail, and each entry designates the end points of the trails, as well as the counties they cross, the length, the surface and a name and phone number for each trail manager.

Nonmembers of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy pay $8 for the directory, which may be ordered from the organization, at 1400 16th Street, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20036. Membership information is in the back of the booklet.

A version of this article appears in print on January 19, 1992, on Page 5005003 of the National edition with the headline: PRACTICAL TRAVELER; Where to Find No-Frills Facts. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe